Infinite Stratos: Unlimited Sky
by Just Another Indonesian Writer
Summary: I know nothing about my past life, I'm supposed to enter this school meant for girls piloting armored exoskeletons or something, and everything seems to be going South for me. But then again, when everything else fails, just trust your own cunning mind. Heh, I've never thought that being a strategist for the IS Academy would be like this.
1. The New Representatives

_"Subject sixteen's implants're stable but his life signs're fading."_

_"Don't worry. He'll survive. The Absolute Defense System of the IS unit should be more than enough to support his life."_

_"Are you sure that we're doing the right thing?"_

_"It's for our country's only company to survive. Do it."_

_"And if he fails...?"_

_"... We'll just dispose of him like the rest. Now do it, we don't have much time until daybreak."_

* * *

Even in this pitch black situation... My head... It hurts so... So bad. I could feel pain stinging from all sides of my body. I'm breathing into something weird... Like the air has some kind of flavor in it. Where am I? I could feel that I'm lying down on a soft bed, with a thin sheet of a comfortable blanket over my body. I should... I should try opening my eyes. Suddenly, adrenaline rushed into my body and the urge to open my eyes was proved too much. I shot my eyes open. Only to see a blinding light.

I forced my eyes to close again, disoriented by the sudden light. Damn, I shouldn't be too hasty to open my eyes. Let's try this again... But slower this time. Okay... Slow and easy... Easy now... Right, so now, the light that's entering my eyes seems to be losing it's blinding features. When my senses reconnected themselves, I realized that I'm currently staring into a while ceiling. I blinked a few times, unsure on where I am and / or how did I get here.

Looking to my left, there's an oxygen dispensing machinery that's usually used in those big hospitals. The line connects to a breather strapped on my mouth and nose. Oh, so that's why the air feels funny when I breathe them in. Okay, looking to my surroundings now, a small room with another vacant bed beside me. Am I at an infirmary or something? The numbing feeling had died down, so I decided to twitch my... My left hand? What the hell? My left hand?

Instead of getting the feeling of my fingers touching each other, my eyes saw a large, dark blue metal gauntlet that reached all the way to my elbow. What the? How the hell did this thing get here? I was just about to scream in panic when I heard something creaked open. I stabilized my breathing and turned my eyes to my left. I saw the door that leads to this room opening, that gained my full attention. The next second, I could see two guys... Girls, walking in.

No, scratch that, two young women, actually. One had short green hair with a matching pair of green orbs on her eyes. She's wearing a pair of square framed glasses with clear lenses over those pair of eyes. I can see that she's wearing a somewhat... Revealing yellow dress with black linings on the edge of the sleeves and the skirt part. Underneath that dress, lies a pink... Shirt? I suppose... She's also dark brown wearing knee-high boots.

The other one had a long black hair that's tied up into a ponytail. Matching dark crimson irises. She's wearing a white dress shirt with a black tie. Over that shirt is a black business coat and black business skirt. Black stockings and black high-heeled shoes. These two women approached me with a rather fast pace. I couldn't really say anything, since my mouth won't permit me to do so. Besides. with this oxygen mask on my mouth... I couldn't really, oh to hell with it. I can breathe normally.

"_Aku... Aku dimana?_" I asked with a language that seems to be not native to my liking.

"Uhm, are you feeling better now?" The woman with the green hair asked me first with a rather timid and shy tone. Oh... I get it, I should be speaking in English, or at least, Japanese.

Apart from the excruciating pain that's ripping my body inside out? Yeah, I'm... I'm not okay, actually. "No... Not really..." I answered a bit weakly, with my voice sounding hoarse and dry. "Wh-where am I?" That question came out rather desperate.

"The Infinite Stratos Academy's infirmary." This time, the other woman, the one with the black hair, replied to me. Her tone sounds a bit strict and harsh.

Another question pops out in my mind, so I decided to speak it aloud. "How... How did I get here?"

The woman with the black hair scoffed. "You tell me. You crashed into one of our arenas last night when you fell from the sky."

What? What the? I fell from the sky? "What? Th-then, how'd I survive that?"

"Your IS unit was on its Absolute Defense mode. It saved your life. But you were unconscious. I think you're lucky when it happened. Maya and I were just passing the area, and no one else saw that you're falling." She explained. "Oh, right. I'm Chifuyu Orimura, and this is Maya Yamada." She pointed at the timid woman beside her. "_Although I'm surprised with only that armor, you could survive that fall..._"

"IS...?" I asked again. "What's an IS?"

This time, both of them looked over to me as if I just ate their last desert. Wide eyes, shocked and stunned look. "You... You don't know what an IS is?" The one I now identify as Maya asks me back. "Y-you were in yours just last night!"

"Maya's right. And it literally saved your life." Chifuyu pouts at the thought. "But seriously. You don't know what an IS is?"

I shook my head. A skeptical look from them and they took a few steps back from me and turned their backs. After they thought that they're out of my earshot, they started to whisper something to each other while shooting me occasional glances that made me flinch a bit every time they did that. I don't why, though.

_"Orimura-sensei... Amnesia...?"_  
_"Don't know... Ask questions..."_  
_"About his IS... Dangerous?"_  
_"Enroll... Male pilot..."_  
_"Representative... Country's government."_  
_"Think... Later... Talk now..."_

I could hear some bits and pieces from their hushed conversation. I turned my head out of respect to the right so I couldn't what are they talking about. But still... What was that about an IS? IS academy, she said? And did one of them said something about an amnesia? And... Enrolling as a male pilot? Seriously, what are they talking about? I'm too confused to even think straightly right now. A few seconds later, they finally came back to the side of my bed.

"Okay, first of all, what's your name, kid?" Chifuyu asks.

My name? Wait... I got a name, right? "S-Six..." I answered.

"Six? As in number 6?" This was Maya's turn to ask me. I nod. "Interesting name..." She muttered under her breath, but enough for me to hear that.

"Okay... Six." Chifuyu repeated my supposed name. "I'm sorry to ask you this all of a sudden... But do you remember how do you got here and where do you come from?" She questioned with a more relaxed tone, probably trying to defuse the tense situation.

"I... I don't know... I could remember some guys talking about me about something... Then everything went hazy, and then, here I am." I'm not lying about that, really. "I really don't know what the hell is going on." I admitted, holding a hand up to my head. "All these talks about the IS and all..."

Chifuyu crouched so that she could see me in eye level. "Okay, kid. You listen to me. This's maybe too much for you to handle, so I'll keep this brief." She cleared her throat before continuing. "ISs are armored exoskeleton with the full name of **_Infinite Stratos_**. Now, all things aside, it could only be piloted by women. The core of the suit won't react to males. Until now, there's only one male that can actually pilot one." She explained slowly so that I could understand.

Although I don't understand one bit what she's saying. "Who is it?" I curiously questioned.

"...My brother." She replied hesitantly. "Look, long story short, those who have the potential to wear and pilot an IS goes here to the academy. Not everyone can enter this facility. We only accept those who're compatible with the IS, a country's representative, and some special cases... Like you. Now, I don't know why're you here yourself, but I want to ask a question. Do you want to enroll to this school?"

What? Seriously, what? I tilt my head to the side, and I froze, as if I got struck by some kind of lightning. "E-eh?"

"The IS Academy would be glad to pay for all of the expenses for your safety here." Maya perked up. "Assuming that you suddenly crashed into our arenas, we could consider that you're being threatened by a hostile force. Here, at the academy, we could offer you protection against any sorts of international violence."

"...As it was written in article 21 in the IS Academy's students' regulation handbook. 'All students of the IS Academy are under its exclusive control. No nation, organization or other group can interfere with their attendance here.' Just like that." Chifuyu added.

I stayed silent for a few moments. "What's in it for me?"

"Look kid, seeing your current situation right now, we can offer you the protection needed. Besides, if someone else saw you piloting an IS like that, especially the big country's organizations, they'll tear your body inside out." The black haired woman answered sternly. "After all, the IS was intended to be a female-only unit."

"We'll take full responsibility for your safety. All we ask in return is your cooperation, Six-kun." Maya continued.

Being offered a chance to survive? "Why... Why not...?" I nod weakly.

Chifuyu smirked. "Welcome to the Infinite Stratos Academy, kid."

* * *

**Infinite Stratos: Unlimited Sky**

**Chapter One: The New Representatives**

* * *

It's been a week or two that Chifuyu and Maya kept me held up in silence without the knowledge of the students of the IS Academy. In that time, they would occasionally visit me to check on my recovering injuries, as well informing me about the 'need-to-get-to-know-you' stuff about the place. Seems this place isn't gonna be like going into a normal school. The IS Academy is supposed to be a girl-only-school, true to the fact that IS units were supposed to be 'girl-only-unit' and what not.

And before you even ask, yeah, my recovery is pretty damn slow. Even up 'till now, the concussion remains.

More or less, I was already beginning to study even at the infirmary room. Those two gave me some points regarding the creation of ISs, major companies related to the creation and manufacturing of the units, some more detailed info about representatives and personal units. When I asked about my own IS, they immediately answered that my unit was not registered in any databanks, so they said that my IS is a personal unit. I haven't even looked at my own unit yet.

They had my uniform made and sent into my room. It's a white blazer with some black parts and red linings visible on the torso and arm parts. I had to wear a black dress shirt and a red tie for the main uniform. The blazer's left arm was cut shirt so my gauntlet could still be fit into my uniform. For the bottoms, they got me a par of black sneakers, Now, I wonder... Where, when, and how did they go my size, both my body and my weird gauntlet? Don't tell me they... Sized me when I was asleep? Oh crap. No, no no no.

Speaking of my weird gauntlet, the two said that it's actually my IS in its closed form. Since I'm too confused to even comprehend what the hell they're talking about, I just said yeah. My IS, though... They said it's obviously not made by the bigger industries. _Shinonome Heavy Industries_ of Japan (the biggest IS Manufacturer of all, for obvious reasons, of course) didn't have the data of my IS on them, same goes for _Macmillan Precision Armories Inc._ of America as well British and _Dunois Weapons and Instrument Industries ltd._ of France. (Both ranked second and third for IS manufacturing.) And yeah, I memorized those names. Chifuyu told me to.

Well, maybe that's for my own good too. I mean, a male pilot and a representative (although faked) of a country doesn't know the basics of an IS knowledge? Oh I can already imagine the teachers and the rest of the girls dicing me off. So yeah, got myself some good handbook about IS and its weapons. Short, mid, long, point-blank, even to bit weaponry. IS is a vast arsenal, even though it's only an armored exoskeleton. (And it's piloted by girls, no less!)

That's not the problem for now. Because today, I'll be introduced to the class of the IS Academy, to be more precise, to the class 1-1. So here I am, at my infirmary room. Staring at the mirror. To be honest, I even forgot how I looked like. Must've been one hell of a crash. Tanned skin, short, black hair with slight bangs to my left that's parted to the center and right, with all of strands of my bangs facing to the left side. Narrow and slit eyes, obviously giving out my Southeastern-Asiatic ethnicity.

Chifuyu had the academy procured me a pair of glasses. I've always wondered, how'd she know about my eyes being minus? Anyway, I got myself a square framed glasses with clear lenses with black handles. I put the pair of spectacles over my heterochromic eyes. Oh yes, I have Heterochromia Iridium, a genetical disease. In English? I have different colored eyes. My left eye is colored in black, while the right is colored in dark brown. I know, you probably can't tell the difference from afar, but up close, it's pretty obvious.

I put everything on, but left my blazer unbuttoned. I do feel uncomfortable and yikes, it's hot if your body is cramped in sets of clothes like these. I strapped in the tiny nametag I'm supposed to wear on the collar of the blazer. It reads '_Faizal Halim Wijayakusuma_'. Oh right. To protect my identity and so on so on so on, I was given a fake name. Under the name of Faizal, I am to enter this academy as the second male IS pilot. I am also representing the country of Indonesia, a large, South-Eastern Asian archipelago, true to my ethnicity.

Although I'm not so sure about my own nationality at the first place... It's best to fly with the flow, I suppose. I checked the watch... It's about 6:24, I still got a few more minutes to walk to the class 1-1. Well... So much for being kept in as a secret from the rest of the school. Oh well... I suppose it's time for me to leave this small, yet comfortable room. I picked my black bag (that's also procured by the school) from the nearby chair, watered the plants (yes, it's becoming a habit), and breathed one last sigh before heading out.

I guess this is it... Goodbye, infirmary room 162.

* * *

I'm now walking down the long and empty hallways of the IS Academy. My black sneakers would make this light, annoying tapping noises every time it made contact with the floor. I checked the watch, it's still 6:27, 3 minutes before the supposed homeroom session to start. Looks like the morning homeroom starts early today. Better hurry up. Don't wanna get diced by the teachers of my class and create myself a bad first impression for Chifuyu and Maya. They must've worked a ton just to get me a spot on this school. Not to mention the title as a representative too (even though it's only a fake one, that is).

Okay, let's see here... Class 2-1, 1-3, 1-2, 1-1. Ah, here we are-

Oh hello there, what do we have here? I see another person standing beside the classroom's doors. It's a... It's a guy! It's an actual guy like me! Oh I get it, maybe he's Chifuyu's brother. No... Wait a minute. That can't be. This guy has blonde hair. And his skin tone is way too pale to be an Asian like me or Chifuyu and Maya for the thought. This guy is definitely European. Maybe from Central or Western Europe, but obviously not Asian. Maybe he's just another lucky guy that can pilot an IS.

Not that I know how to pilot the damn thing, though.

As I approach the guy, I can seem to analyze his looks. As I said before, his hair is blonde, but not platinumly blonde. Like, blonde-blonde, you know? Ah, heck it, it's a strawberry-blonde hair but with more blonde than strawberry. It's semi long and it's tied up nicely and tidily into a simple, yet lazy ponytail with an orange mobius strip. His dark purple eyes brilliantly reflected the incoming light from the sun. He's wearing the same blazer and trousers as mine, but he's much more neater than me. Suspiciously too neat, even... Eh, maybe another one of those clean freaks.

Looks like he noticed my presence and he turned his wandering head to mine. Our gazes met and I suddenly froze. Holy crap. He looks too good to be a boy. Way too good.

He smiled kindly at me. "Ah! So you're the other male student I've heard of!" He exclaimed happily. Okay, his pitch (although it sounded a bit high) is acceptable, if that's considering our age're both 15, that is. "You must be Ichika, _non_? The first male pilot for an IS? It's an honor to meet you!" He added, still maintaining that kind tone of his.

Ichika? First male pilot? Maybe this Ichika is Chifuyu's brother. I've never heard of him, though. Yeah... Ichika sounds Japanese too. Oh he must've mistaken me as him because I'm an obvious Asian as well. Now, that thick accented voice though... It really gives away his nationality. A Frenchie, huh?

I raised my hands and shook my head. "Uhm, _Tidak_, sorry. I'm not Ichika." I denied the idea of me being him. "In fact, I just transferred here today." My Russo-Malay-Asiatic accent seems to be rusting, so that came out pretty weird for my taste.

He blinked. "O-oh, _Je suis désolée_. Well, you see, I just transferred here too, actually." He apologized in French whilst bending his head down by a bit.

"It's okay, really. People makes mistakes. In fact, if you're an Asian, I'll be guessing the same thing too." I joked dryly, earning a chuckle from him.

The slightly shorter blonde (I think... _I think_, I stand at the height of 157 Centimeters. Yes, I'm rather short for my age.) extends his hand, silently offering me a handshake.

"Well, I'm Charl-"

"Guess what, class? Today, we're about to meet yet another new transfer student! But today, instead of one, we got ourselves TWO students coming from overseas into this class!" Came an excited voice from the inside of the class. Wait. That tone sounds a bit too familiar in my ears.

The classroom doors hissed and quickly, it slides open. Revealing both of us standing outside the class. Okay, time to get a good look of the classroom. Spacious, good view to the outside, girls, girls, girls, more girls, and... Whah? Those two young women standing in front of the classroom, before the podium. They seem familiar... Well, of course! Chifuyu and Maya are there! So that explains how they got me a green light to enter this school. They're the teachers!

Now, apart from that, I also see one male student at the front row seat of the class. He had short, raven hair with more blue rather than black, also with slight bangs that almost reached his dark crimson eyes. His tanned skin, a bit of narrow eyes (Not as narrowed and slit as I am), it really doesn't take a genius to identify him as a Japanese. So, he must be Ichika Orimura. The brother of Chifuyu and the very first male to pilot an IS unit. Wow. This is interesting.

"Chifuyu-san? Maya-san?" I asked out loud, surprised to see the two here, this caused several eyes to turn to me, including the Frenchie beside me.

Chifuyu certainly looked irritated. Okay, that's creepy. "It's Orimura-sensei and Yamada-sensei, here. Now get yourselves moving and introduce yourself already." Ow, that was certainly harsh and commanding.

Both the blonde and I looked at each other, then I let him in first. I followed from behind, not before closing the class's door. Both of us walk to the small stage beside the podium and holographic displays for both of our names, as well as the kanji in Japan (since we're at a Japanese school) pops up at the whiteboard behind us. We could hear several chatters breaking up from the girls of the class. But they're more surprised to see us walking down the class's hallways.

The first one to introduce himself is the Frenchie. He took one step forward and cleared his throat.

"I'm Charles Dunois, and I have come from France." He smiled to the crowd. Guh, even though he's a guy, that smile is... "It's very nice to meet you all!"

Looks like it's my turn. "My name's Faizal Halim Wijayakusuma, and I'm the representative for Indonesia." I said with the most respectful tone as I could possibly muster in this nervous mind. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Dude... Both of you are a boy...?" We heard a random girl student asks that question with a disbelieved tone.

"_Oui_. I heard about another male student in the same situation as I am. So I transferred here." Charles confirmed.

I scratched my head. "Well, my government saw my potential and got me transferred to this academy." I lied with the alibi Chifuyu had gave me while I'm still recovering.

"**_AAAAHHHH__!_**"

E-eh, why are they squealing like that? My eyebrow twitched a little in surprise, and I could easily see Charles with the same confused look as I am.

"We have two male students! TWO!"  
"And they're in our class!"  
"The blonde is soooo cute!"  
"The Asian beside him is not bad too!"  
"That French boy! It makes me want to protect him!"

And the numerous chatters regarding our arrival and the revelations that we're not a girl continues on.

"Silence, dammit! That's quite enough!" Chifuyu's commading voice boomed throughout the class, immediately silencing all of the talks between the girls. After the silent atmosphere returned, she puts one hand on her hips. "Today, we're conducting joint-practical training with class 2. I want everyone changed and assembled on the 2nd ground ASAP." She then turned her face to her brother. "And Orimura?"

"Y-yeah?" The Japanese brother of Chifuyu asks her back.

"Since you're also a male like these two, I want you to keep an eye on Halim and Dunois, you hear me?" Both me and Charles took that cue to approach him. "Alright, let's get moving girls! Class dismissed!"

"You must be Ichika Orimura, well I'm Faizal Halim, you can ignore the Wijayakusuma. And you can call me Faizal. It's nice to meet you." I began.

"And I'm Charles Dunois, it's very nice to-"

Ichika stood up, cutting Charles off in the middle of his sentence. "Uuhh, yeah, we don't have to rehearse that. Right now, getting there is our top priority." He said with a stern voice, already moving towards the door. "The girls'll start changing soon, so, well, let's get our motor on! Follow me, I'll show you the fastest way to the changing room." With that he left the class.

"I wonder what's that about." The Frenchman tilts his head.

I tilt my head as well. "Yeah... Me too."

Then, we have to hear the sounds of girls giggling behind us. Oh crap.

"That doesn't sound good." Without wasting anymore seconds, I grab Charles by his hand and made our way to the outside as well. "We have to get out of this class. Fast."

"E-eh?" He must surprised by my sudden actions, but I didn't care. Who knows what those girls will do to us both.

* * *

It doesn't take long for us to reach Ichika. He's practically jogging his way to the changing room with that fast pace. With every step me and Charles takes, we could hear and see more and more girls giggling and chattering about something. Although, I'm fairly certain that 'something' is about us, the two transferees from overseas. I could really feel and see why Ichika himself got that worried and stern look spread across his face. Yeah... Must be tough, huh?

"We're gonna be changing in the locker room at the arena, and we have to change there every time we have practical training, so the two of you have to get used beating the girls." The Japanese male explained hastily once we're in earshot.

I nod, so we have to finish before the girls arrive there? "I see."

"O-oh, r-right!" For some reason, Charles sounded really off. I turned my face to the back to him fidgeting every few seconds, with his face somewhat... Red? Yeah, is his face reddening?

I slowed my pace a bit. "Something wrong, Charles?" I asked. "You need to use the toilet or something? Oh, don't me you're sick."

"A-ah, no! Th-that's not it!" He replied, the stammering remains evident, though.

"Hey, there's the new transfer students!"  
"They're with Orimura too!"  
"Come over here, the new guys are over here!"  
"Three guys! THREE GUYS!"

"_Ya Tuhan...!_" I said that reflexively. "What the heck is going on-"

"There they are! They're over here!"  
"Move it, outta the way! I wanna see them!"  
"Oh, look, they're holding hands!"  
"I like the two's dark hair, but I also like the blonde one!"

"_Mon Dieu!_" This time, Charles said the same thing I said just now in his language.

Seeing the situation becoming bad quickly, The Japanese IS pilot turned his head to the side. "Okay... Run for it!" Ichika ran to the corner, leaving me and Charles to follow him from behind.

"They're leaving!"  
"Hey wait!"  
"Let's follow them!"  
"Hey, wait! At least let me take a picture for the paper!"

Good God, I am NOT, getting my face in the school's paper. _Kenapa harus aku yang selalu bernasip sial, Ya Tuhan?_ So I ran with Charles, hot on Ichika's trail, trying to break free from the swarming horde of girls. This is really maddening, now I question my own safety with all of these girls trying get me from my back. Ensure my safety, they said... Hmph, they didn't say anything about screaming fangirls, though. Seriously, it's our first day here! I mean, c'mon!

"Why are they making such a racket for?" Charles asked, with slight pants cutting him on every word.

"Well, I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that the three of us are the only males that could operate an IS so far." Ichika replied without looking back.

"O-oh yes! That's right, we are!"

"Less talking, more running!" I yelled, noticing that there're some girls hot on our heels as well. Oh man, this is gonna be a long day...

* * *

Ah! Empty locker rooms! We've finally managed to break free from those girls, looking at the current situation, looks like we're the first one to arrive here at the changing area. The three of us had to take a full minute or two to catch our loss breaths. Damn that run really tires me out. While Ichika himself doesn't really mind the slight exhaustion, both me and Charles do. Short and deep breathing can be heard from us. My stamina is the worst, really.

"I think we've managed lose them, somehow." Ichika sighed in relieve.

"I'm sorry... We've already got you into trouble!" Charles apologized, with some heavy pants cutting him on every syllables.

I raised a finger. "Ditto on that one..."

"Well, it's no problem. The two of you are my savior, actually. It's tough to be the only guy in the entire school." He smiled at us. Ohh... Right, it IS tough...

The Frenchie raised his head to face Ichika. "_Non_, really?"

"Yep! And because of that, I owe both of you on this one, big time!" His smile turned wider at us. "My name's Ichika, Ichika Orimura, by the way. You can call me by my first name, though."

Charles nods. "Uh-huh, it's nice to meet you, Ichika. And you too, Faizal." He turned his head to me now. "You two may call me Charles, if you'd like."

It was then Ichika looks at the clock. 8:43. "Oh man, look at the time. We got another long run to do, so both of you better hurry up and get changed!" He threw all of his clothes aside, revealing his well-built, toned-tanned skin, and smacks open his locker to get his training suit out.

"A-ah!" Charles suddenly yelled, surprising both of us, when we turned his face to him, he was giving us his back, with his hands covering his face for some reason.

"Come on, you two, we're gonna be late if we don't change fast." He paused, before his face turned to be more solemn. "And... Our teacher happens to be VERY insistent on punctuality." He went a bit flustered himself. Oh... Right... Teacher, sister. Yeah.

"Uhm-hmm..." I could detect some uncertainty in Charles's mumble. "I-I'll go get changed now, but can you two please look away, s_'il vous plaît_?"

I don't even know where my locker is! And both Maya and Chifuyu didn't say anything about procuring me a training suit or some sort! Now, for Charles, I simply nod and turned my head away out of respect. I leaned my back against one of the other lockers and waited for Ichika himself to finish.

"Uhm, sure, I wasn't going to stare at you while you're changing anyway, but why not?" Ichika shrugged before getting some more of his training suit out from his locker. Just about three to five seconds in, he pulled his head out of the locker to Charles. "Just hurry it up, okay- wha?" Okay, that was a tone of surprise.

I also turned my head to face Charles, and... "Wha?" I repeated Ichika's word just now. Charles has fully changed... FULLY CHANGED. He puts away his blazer, dress shirt, trousers, and everything, puts on all of that... Tight, somewhat revealing, skinny suit, that almost looks like it was made out of spandex that fits on his small body uncomfortable. With his flustered face, he faced us, and laughed nervously. Dude, how'd he manage to change with that long hair?

"Ehehe... I-is something wrong?" The Frenchie asked us.

"You... You changed at an inhuman speed, Charles, that's what's wrong." I pointed out, still surprised that he did all of that in just three to five seconds. "You gotta tell me the secret, dude. You got that, right?" I questioned, curious on his speed.

"Oh, not really! Ehehe... I... I don't...! Ehehe..." Okay, that laugh was really uncomfortable. And why's he still flustered like that?

"Really? Well, that's a shame, cause these things are a real pain to put on." I can agree on that, Ichika. "Since you can't wear any underwears underneath these clothes, sooner or later, things are bound to get caught."

I could suddenly feel my face getting some heat as well. Matching that light crimson color Charles has on his face. "Y-your _things_... Get caught?"

Clicking his fingers for a confirmation, Ichika continues, "And how." Okay now both of our faces went completely red, just thinking at the idea makes me... Somewhat embarrassed to think about it. "But, hew, Charles... Look at you. Your suit looks really easy to put on." Not to mention, different from Ichika's dark blue one.

Charles shook off the heat from his face and nods. "Uh-huh, it's an original suit made by Dunois."

Oh right, speaking of Dunois. "Hey, isn't Dunois your last name, Charles?" I asked him.

"My Papa is the company's CEO. And, as you know, Dunois is the largest IS related corporation in all of France." He explained, with a bit of proud, if I might add. Well that's normal, he's the son of the world's third ranking IS manufacturer. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone was here too.

"Aah... So you're the CEO's son... Now it makes sense." Ichika hummed thoughtfully.

"Hmm? About what?"

"Well, I don't really know, but you certainly got some class in you, Charles!" Ichika said as he puts his suit on. "You look like you've come from a prestigious family. So, pretty much, I get it!"

To our surprise, however, Charles's facial expression darkened slightly. It made me wince on how fast his mood change.

"Hey, Charles?" I asked, a bit worried. "You okay there?"

"A-ah, yeah, I'm fine!" He quickly regained his lost composure. "And how about you Faizal? Aren't you going to change?"

She seems to be hiding something... But oh well... "Me? Nah, I haven't got any placed lockers and suit. Besides, it's our first day... What could possibly go wrong if we don't wear our training clothes?"

* * *

"Ow, ow, ow... The agony..." I winced in pain. It was a day full of uneventful... Events. I know Chifuyu's just covering for me... But to run 25 laps across all six arenas of the school just because I didn't got my suit on?! That's just nuts! Okay, so let me tell you how it goes... Today, we didn't do any battles. Just some dry, on ground training with the other girls. I didn't summon my IS because it wasn't needed. Me, Ichika and Charles were to help instruct the other girls with the basics of IS.

It's my first time seeing an IS, in my opinion, they're large, bulky, and pretty hard to move. And since I have the most minimal knowledge regarding those exoskeletons, Ichika and Charles were pretty much doing all the work, while I was left to stand and watch. It doesn't seem to be complicated, but it sure does possess a certain degree of complexity to operate the machinery. After seeing all of those girls in training, I've become curious on my own IS as well...

After the training, more school happened. Ichika just toured both me and Charles to the large campus. This place has pretty much everything! Sophisticated classes, large cafeteria area, even to luxurious living quarters! After school, Chifuyu assigned both me and Charles to the same room of 1016. Well, that's understandable. It wouldn't be wise to put a guy on a room that already has a girl in it. And after seeing those girls' reaction this morning...

Yeahhh... I'd rather not be in the same room as the girls...

So now, it's already nighttime, and both me and Charles have settled into out rooms. This room is big, it has two beds, two tables, each with a computer, a bathroom, and so on. But what I admired the most, is the view to the outside! We could see the sea from the windows, and the chairs at the balcony. Oh man. The view's awesome. But right now... I got more things to deal with... Such as this aching muscles, and nearly broken bones... Damn it... It hurts...

Both me and Charles have changed into something that's more comfortable for us to wear, by the way. I wore a simple dark blue shirt with black shorts. Charles wears a white track suit with black and orange patterns, and the same goes for his pants. He still hasn't let his hair down, though. isn't it hot, wearing all of those things? Good thing the Air Conditioners were more than enough to make up for it. The cool air is enough to keep this room breezy for us.

"A-are you sure that you're okay, Faizal?" He asked from the chair. "Do you need an ice pack?"

"No, no, I'm fine, Charles, _terima kasih_!" I yelled from the bed, before sitting upright on the soft pillows. "This kind of thing won't kill me... I hope..." I joked, yet with another dry tone. "Still... Two guys, sharing the same room, what could be better?"

Charles took a few sips from the tea. "This is very different from European teas. I'm not really used to it, but it's still quite excellent!" He complimented. "So, do you actually practice your IS sometime?"

Oh crap. "U-uh... Yeah, sometimes... Ehehe... I'm still not good at it, though..." Well, duh, I haven't even seen my own unit!

"Well, then would it mind you if I train with you? I think at least I can be of help since I have my own machine." He offered kindly.

Really?! "W-well, sure! That'll be awesome!"

"Okay then, it's a deal!" He said happily.

I approached him and extend my hand. "Well, I hope we can do our best here, Charles!"

"The same wishes comes from me too, _mon ami_!" And with that one last smile from him, we locked our hands in a firm handshake.

This is going to be an interesting year, I can feel it!

* * *

**End of Chapter One**

* * *

**Author's Notes**

Well... It's my first try on writing an IS fic. So don't get mad, okay?

I don't read the novels and only watched the first season of the anime, so I got minimal knowledge on the series. This fic is pretty much a scrapped idea, so I don't really know if you guys'll like it. But oh well... It wouldn't hurt to try, right? But, please, accept my apology if any error occur in this fic. I'll try my best to keep this fic in line with the canon. I'll also be using some foreign language, so sorry if you guys don't really understand them!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this... Fic? Cheers. :)


	2. The Cunning Strategist, The Lying French

Did I say that the year's going to be interesting in the last chapter of this story? Well...

"Okay, class!" Maya's timid voice echoed through the class. "I have yet another exciting announcement to make, today!" Her face doesn't really show the excitement, though. "I'm about to introduce another addition to our expanding classroom! Meet our newest transfer student from Germany, Laura Bodewig." In cue, a holographic display of this new transfer student's name with the English written below the Kanji characters pops up beside her.

Turning all of our gazes to Maya's left, stands a girl with a dead serious expression plastering her face. She had long, nearly waist-length hair, that's color is like an intersection between silver, white, and platinum. I'll... I'll just call that silver, thank you. For some reason, her left eye is being covered with an eyepatch, concealing it. The right one is colored in a dark crimson color, the shade of her crimson is lighter than the ones seen on Chifuyu and Ichika's eyes.

Now, the thing that I really want to question is about her attire. Not that I really mind the eyepatch, she probably got from a certain accident or something. (Or don't tell me she's suffering from an '8th Graders Syndrome' and is just trying to imitate the pirates of the Caribbean seas of the 15th centuries), Now, moving on from the typical blazer (she used the males' blazer, holy crap), is her pants. Baggy military pants, no seriously. It's like the ones they used in the force.

"_боже мой..._" I muttered in Russian under my breath for some reason.

"What was that, Faizal?" Charles beside me suddenly asked. Oh right, I got seated right beside him, and to our right is Ichika.

Hearing his confused reaction, I hastily shake my head. "Oh... No, that was nothing, really." I replied to him, tone a bit unsociably awkward.

"Another transfer student?"  
"What's going on?"  
"Just yesterday we got two guys, no we got a girl?"  
"In just two days, we got ourselves three new students?"  
"No matter how you look at it, it's really strange..."

Hearing the numerous chatters from the girls, Maya cleared her throat to gain the attention back to her. "Please be quiet, now everyone! Our introduction isn't over yet, so show some respect!" Even with that order, some students maintained their chats, and at least loud enough for us to hear it.

"Yes, no go ahead, Laura. Please, finish." Chifuyu spoke, letting the German to speak once again.

"_Ja vol_, mentor." The girl we can identify as Laura nods respectfully to the Japanese teacher. "I am Laura Bodewig."

A few seconds of silence and no reaction... "So, uhm, is that all you wanted to say, Laura?"

"_Ja_, zat will be all." She is just so German... She then turned her gaze and her eyes fell on Charles, me, and Ichika respectively. The three of us flinched. "And you must be..." Trailed the German as she approaches the first male IS pilot, okay, so what's she doing now...? Before Ichika could even react to her approach, with one swift motion, she moved her hands towards his face. Although in a high speed. Okay... Now... That's shocking, I suppose.

"_Aй,_ _Это должно быть больно._" I winced as I spoke 'Ouch, that's gotta hurt' in that foreign language. The whole class went into shock soon after.

"I do not approve... No... In fact, I will _NEVER_ approve... Zat you're her brother...!"

I'll ask again... Did I say that this year's going to be interesting in the last chapter? I... I'll take that back.

* * *

**Inifnite Stratos: Unlimited Sky**

**Chapter Two: The Cunning Strategist and the Lying French**

* * *

It's both me and Charles's second day here at the IS academy, and people're already smacking each others' faces? Sheesh, what's up with this school? Now I really do question the safety of the whole academy. Starting from screaming fangirls, to murderous young women. I could now really understand Ichika feels when he's the only guy here. But I suppose me and Charles are bound to suffer the same things soon if we are not careful to pick our friends.

"Hmm? Faizal, aren't you going to change?" Charles asked, looking at me, still fully clothed in my blazer.

"I-I'm not going to wear one those things... Ever." I stammered, remembering the '_things could get caught_' thing by Ichika. "I-I'll just go to the field clothed like this... I'm sure Orimura-sensei and the others'll understand my situation." Well, I still haven't received any info regarding my training suit, and when I asked Chifuyu about it, she just told me to get to the field fully clothed in the school's uniform. Well, I'm not really a big fan of those spandex suits anyway.

Hearing my childish whine, the Frenchman crossed his hands in a scolding manner. "But you do know that wearing these training suits's mandatory, right?"

"_я знаю, я знаю_... " I put a hand up to my forehead. "I just don't really feel like changing right now."

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. We're having another practical practice for today, and I suppose, it's about time for me and Charles to bring forth our own ISs. Okay, so now, I wonder, ISs have their own names. But I wonder what's my personal IS's name is. Well, I have to find that out sooner or later, or I'm gonna be busted. And I have to at least learn to float or fly the damn thing if I want to live up to the title of a country's representative. This is gonna be tough...

When Charles and I exited the changing and into the field, both of us lets the blazing sun to greet our bodies. It's hot, but not hot enough. It's pretty great. I could hear Charles muttering something then suddenly, a blinding orange light engulfs him, forcing me to close my eyes. I could hear some metal clanking sounds coming directly from his direction. And the sounds are gone, I assume that the light is too. When I opened my eyes to see him I was like...

"Whoa... Charles... Is that your IS?" I asked, astonished by the unit he's donning. It's colored in orange with some black as well as white parts. His flight armor consists of a white metallic chest piece and a pair of orange goggles. Even if the IS itself is on the default mode. I could see that it's definitely a personal unit, seeing how many attachments placed on the unit. The bulky wings, arms, and legs parts as well as the goggles that's resting on his head sure gives out his natural color out.

He turned his face and looked down to me. "_Oui_. It's the Rafale-Revive, but it's customized to my own liking." He smiled as he explained the IS suit to me. Hey, isn't Rafale-Revive the IS manufactured by the Dunois Company? But isn't that thing outdated compared to the newer ones used by the students... The Uchigane, if I'm not mistaken. Heck even the Rafale, mass produced version used by the some of the students looks even more updated than this.

Well, looks who's talking... I need to bring my IS out too.

I pivoted my body slightly to my left to see if something can be identified from my weird metal gauntlet. Turning my left hand around I could see some numbers written, or maybe carved into the metal. **_RUSS-__IDN[T]-00-00-QT-GRD_**. What the hell does that mean? That doesn't really give me the idea on how to spawn the damn thing! Turning my gauntlet, jusssttt a little bit more to the left, lies a shining, polished, carved words... Weird, I didn't really notice that in the first place.

"**_Екскалибур_**..." I read the foreign name out loud. Right... So that's the name of this thing, huh...? "Let's see is this thing can really get me my IS. Come, **_Excalibur_**!" I yelled to the thin air. Three seconds in, electricity currents began to flow from my left arm and engulfing my entire body. The gauntlet vanishes into thin air, and some kind of metal started to form in all over my upper body parts, most notably, shoulders. I could suddenly see on my glasses, what seems to be the Heads Up Display for the IS unit.

The light dies down... And... Wait, why am I still shorter than Charles? Well, aside from the new cool UI I was provided with... I couldn't really feel the difference, aside from the metal gauntlet now replaced with some kind of metal glove... Which is technically a metal gauntlet too. Well, this is underwhelming. When I turned my face to the Frenchman, however, his reaction was not what I was expecting. Instead of laughing at my face, he was completely surprised.

"_M-Mon Dieu_, Faizal..." He pointed at me with his large metal hand. "Your IS..."

I sighed. "_Ada apa?_ What about it?" I asked him, my tone sounded very unexcited for the matter.

In a flash, he got a mirror out of nowhere. Impressive, Frenchie. "See for yourself, _mon ami_."

Huh, I wonder what he meant by that- WHOA... I look... I look... Weird! Really weird! I'm still fully clothed in my white blazer and black dress shirt, the only different thing is there seems to be a large, blue, shield-like device floating over my left shoulder. There seems to be one, two... SIX, small green blades attached to the device. Over my right shoulder, rests a one long, green sword, no wait, scratch that, it's a long gun-blade. The hilt of the sword is colored in blue, while the actual blade is colored in a jade-green color.

Moving onto the armor parts. Aside from the new metal glove I got for my left hand, my right hand receives a much more bulkier, and sturdy looking gauntlet, but it fits perfectly with my finger. It's about twice as smaller than the IS's hand, but it's a mechanic hand, alright. A dark blue shoulder pad rests on top of my right shoulder. My glasses seems to changed to a goggles like... thing, usually used by snowboarders around the world. There's a small, yellow-colored, V-Shaped antennae on my tip of the right handle of my goggles.

A left-right asymmetrical dark blue IS, piped down to match the human pilot's size... I couldn't even comprehend how I look. O-oh crap, I mustn't look surprised myself, especially in front of the students or else my cover will be blown. I tried to awkwardly wave him off, but instead, I choked on the very air I just breathed in.

"A-ah... Yeah...! I-it's a personal IS unit made by the government of my c-country!" I lied. Hopefully it works. "A-as you can see, it sacrifices the armor for mobility and close-range engagements! Y-yeah, that's it!" Crap, that doesn't sound very convincing.

Holy crap, I hope I'm right... Let's see the stats of my own small IS unit.

* * *

**01000111 01110010 01101110 01100100 01100101 01110010  
**

**Heavy Munitions Factory**

* * *

**Войска воздушно-космической обороны**

**Вооружённые Си́лы Росси́йской Федера́ции**

* * *

**RUSS-IDN[T]-00-00-QT-GRD ; Codename: Екскалибур**

**Prototype Generation Number '-' Infinite Stratos Unit**

Phase Status: Closed/Standby - **[Default]** \- 1 - 2 - 0

Sake: Holy Sword - Excalibur

Shields: 150/150

Core Number: 00[QT] - 00[R]

Core Status: Active

Armor Parts:  
\- Shoulder Guards: Active  
\- Armored Arms: Active  
\- Combat Goggles: Active

Armaments:  
\- Excalibur; Buster Gun-blade  
\- Priwen; Sword Bits (x6)

* * *

Just... Three armor parts and two weapons... I am sooo dead if I am to enter a battle like this. But hey, 150 shield points isn't that bad, I guess. At least I could survive for like... What, three seconds? Argh, who am I kidding. Compared to Charles's and the other ISs out there, This Exoskeleton is nothing but a fried shrimp. But then again, at least I don't gave to wear any of those skinny training suits... I really don't want that thing to be... Attached onto my body.

"Really?" Charles asked, his tone says he's not convinced by my reasoning. Oh crap. "I haven't seen any IS like that type before..."

"I-It's made personally just for me, Charles. It doesn't use any templates from the mass-produced models." I explained desperately, trying to make him believe my alibi. "As I said before, this IS unit sacrifices armor for agility."

"I... I see. Well. Okay then, you want test it in a mock battle with me?" He offered.

What? I can't pilot this thing yet! "I uh... I... I don't know-"

"Oh wait, I have a better idea!" Charles cut me off. "Let's ask Ichika to join us too!"

Before I could even reply back to the Frenchie, he's already... Floating towards where the Japanese is. Looks like he also had his IS deployed. Ichika's IS has a pretty unique design if you ask me. It's... White, with blue and yellow patterns visible on the arms and legs parts. The wings looked enormous, but also it kinda signifies that it's also a high mobility unit type. I can't really see the armaments on the unit's main hull, but I suppose there's more than meets the eye.

Okay, so Charles's IS has this floating ability. E-erh... I'll just walk, thank you. Damn it, looks like a mock battle is unavoidable. Let's try some new things out while I'm at it though. But for now, I HAVE to fly, I suppose. Okay, let's just not walk. I need to activate the jet engines somehow. Let's see here... There's no flight controls on the HUD of the IS unit... So you're telling me that this unit's a ground purpose unit? You gotta be kidding me... Come on... I want to fly...

No, I need to fly... Eh?

Just as I thought about that, I was already floating a few meters of the ground. I immediately paled out. How the hell did I do it... Wait... I just thought about flying just now... Ah! I see, ISs flight reacts to reflexes and thoughts, just like when you summon it! Okay, it's much more simpler than I thought... But I'm still just floating now... I need to fly, not float. But apart from that, I couldn't hear any jet engines activating... Is this unit a stealth-purpose type?

I looked back to see that the shield-like device spouting out a bit of green light towards the ground. I'll assume that's the engine, then. It's... Pretty hard to balance myself in this thing... It's like I'm walking in the air, but at the same time, walking on a thin line. Nope, nope. I gotta keep my composure. I'm representing a country... That's right, better not humiliate myself now... It won't do any good for me, my IS, and I think, to the country I'm representing.

"_блин_... This is freaking hard..." I muttered in an irritated manner. I do notice that I'm speaking in Russian a lot today... Why's that...?

"Hey, Faizal!" Charles's voice entered my ears.

"Ye-**_AAAH?!_**" I raised my head only to lose my focus and the thrusters went wild. I crashed into the ground with my face planting the dirt. "I'm okay!" I raised a finger, pathetically trying to salvage the pride left I have inside me. My efforts were proven as a failure when I heard some chuckling, courtesy of Charles Dunois and Ichika Orimura. Damning myself for having such a bad luck, I raised my face and picked myself from the ground. After a quick dust off, I approach the two males.

Uh-huh, okay, I can see three other girls standing near Ichika and Charles. Who are they? One of them is obviously an European, given her nearly platinum blonde hair and crystalline blue eyes. The other one, the one with the brown hair that's tied up into twin tails. and jade-green eyes, is A Chinese, identified by her slit eyes. The furthest one with the long black hair, is a Japanese, just like Ichika, they're staring intently to the very first male IS pilot.

Floating once more, I closed in my distance between us.

"Okay then, Ichika, both me and Faizal is here. I hope you're ready for a match!" Charles exclaimed, his voice shows obvious signs of excitement. "I think it's about time for us to compare our ISs powers."

"Oh right! Yeah, sure, Charles." Ichika smiled at us. "Nice IS, by the way, Faizal." He pointed at me with his exo's arm. "Alright, guys, I'll you all later." He fared his well to the three girls, and they just gave a dissatisfied grunt at him. "Okay, let's get ourselves the good spots to start!"

"_T-Tunggu,_ I-I'm not really sure about-" And... I was too late when I saw the two guys getting some distance from me. "Ugh." I groaned. Looks like I have to learn all of these mechanics on the spot. But... It's a battle between representatives, so i think it wouldn't hurt for me to lose. Just as I don't humiliate myself by falling off a meter to the ground again. Just... Focus your thoughts into the flight. Nothing else matters, since everyone's an enemy here.

The trio consisted of me, Ichika and Charles set ourselves up on the field.

"Hey, look at that, it looks like Ichika, Dunois, and Halim are going to fight each other!"  
"You mean, a battle royale between the guys?!"  
"Dunois' personal machine is called the Rafale Revival, right?"  
"It's a 2nd Gen unit from France if I'm not mistaken."  
"Hey, look at Halim's weird looking and small IS."  
"Can he really fight them with just that sword and shield?"

I doubt I can...

"Here we go, you two!" Charles yelled, officially beginning the mock battle.

"Yeah, bring it!" The Japanese brandished his sword, and charged towards the blonde European.

I pulled out the Excalibur... Well from its floating area. "I-it's already starting?!" I took flight towards them, but at a much slower pace than Ichikas. I need to analyze their abilities somehow before I could barge in. I'll just let these two to battle for a while before I dive into the fireworks myself.

Ichika swung his blade at the Frenchman, only to be blocked, then parried by the one of the Revive's wings. Seeing an opening, Charles took this one to slam his wings' hull to the Japanese. Ichika's reaction was quite fast and smart. He blocked the attack using his sword, and without skipping one beat, he takes a horizontal swipe to the Revive. Charles effortlessly evaded the physical attack and flied upwards, Ichika followed him from behind.

Noticing that he's being followed by the Japanese, the Frenchie calls forth a sub-machine gun from his Rafale. He fired a few bursts to the approaching white IS, only to be blocked by the frontal shields of the unit. Ichika closes in, but Charles isn't going to let that happen so easily. The two pulls out some incredible maneuvers in the air. It's like they're dancing on the skies or something. I'm impressed by their skills. I could also hear some girls breathing out some amazed gasps, and some even began cheering to one of the boys.

Ichika, once again, dashed in with his sword in hand. He did one vertical swipe at the Revive, but Charles managed to do a last second roll before the metal blade hits the hull of his unit. The Frenchman dashed backwards to create some distance between him and Ichika. In one quick pace, Charles brings out a rifle that looks like a sniper or some sort. He takes aim at the white IS. A few potshots in, and a few hits the frontal shield of Ichika's unit. Victory may seems to belong at Charles's hand...

...But they're forgot something. I'm still hovering near the ground level. I've been analyzing their fighting styles for at least a minute now. I get it. Charles's IS, the Rafael Revive Custom II, is a multi-role IS unit. It proves him useful to have an arsenal of weapons. For close range, the submachine gun should do, and for mid to longer ranges, the sniper like rifle seems to do the trick. His IS seems to be very agile as well. Impressive for a 2nd generation unit in my opinion. So Charles is the guy who likes to keep his distance. More or less, he's a ranged fighter in my eyes.

Ichika with his shining white and blue IS, on the other hand, seems to be just focusing on short to point blank engagements. That metal sword he's holding seems like it could even cut through the shields of an IS. As I've observed, he likes to rush his opponents, just as he rushed towards Charles without even thinking. That creates a lot of opening both me and the Frenchman could take. His control over his IS, and the speed, however, is one real threat. Ichika's IS is one, super fast unit. His swordplay is good too. I need to stay out of range.

Now, for me to revise a plan on how to counter them. Charles is a more ranged fighter. I'll probably lose if I were to engage him at this range, at point blank range, I could use this sword and try to overpower him with that. His submachine gun is highly inaccurate if fired in full auto, and considering how small my IS is, I should have the upper hand if I could dodge the hail of his bullets at me. So for Charles, close range it is, then. Now, moving onto Ichika.

His white IS is already damaged by the gunfire from Charles's unit. Some shots from both me and the Frenchie should be more than enough to break his shields, I need to be careful though... One slash from one of those things, and seeing that sword is pretty much in the same size as my whole body, I'll probably get killed in just one swipe of that thing. If I could just get a comfortable firing position... Then... Right, so for Ichika, it's long range combat.

For my choices of attack now. I could charge in with the Excalibur head on, using the situation to make them confused and attack them in one go. Since my IS is a stealth unit, my approach should be undetected. OR, I could use this gun-blade to snipe them from afar. But I have to tread carefully, one shot of this thing could instantly alert them of my presence down here. The last thing I'll need is two guys charging me at once. I'll be kissing this academy goodbye if that happens.

Or maybe... Right... I could do a quick shot from where I am floating right now, using their diverted attention, I could charge in at them and attack them swiftly with the Excalibur, and if they're not down yet, I'll just confuse them even more by flying around them, seeing that I'm a fast, small, and moving target, they should focus on a more bigger target... That's right. That should work. I just need to pay some close attention to my shields and my focus in flight. And everything should be fine.

Alright... Looks like it's my time to shine. I raised the Excalibur and tilted the blue hilt by 45 degrees. The bladed part turned 90 degrees to reveal a barrel of a gun at the end of the hilt. Automatically, a sight also pops up. My HUD readjusted itself into targeting mode. It quickly locks into a more still target, which makes the first prey to be the Rafale Revive. I stabilized my breathing and calmed myself down. I need to do this right, no room for trivial mistakes or I'm done for.

The target indicator locks itself onto Charles's machine.

"Frenchie... I'm sorry." I muttered, before pulling the trigger as hard as I could. An energy builds up at the tip of the hilt, and the blade discharged a straight, medium sized beam in a straight line. The high speed laser impacted the lower side of the orange IS. shifting my sights to the left, I fired another shot towards Ichika. Both shots made impact nicely to both of the machine. Okay, there seems to be a small time lag between shots and trigger pulls I should take note of this.

Both of them staggered a bit at the sudden damage that was absorbed by the defensive layer. Okay, Excalibur... Let's fly. As soon as my reflexes kicked in, the unit builds up its speed and takes flight vertically upwards in a high speed. The G-Force somewhat making me disoriented, it grayed my vision a bit, but that's no problem for now. I need to take care of these two quickly before they could recover from this confusion. I should trust this unit's stealth drive to keep me covered.

I tilted the hilt back into place, and the Excalibur switched back into its longsword mode. This thing is pretty damn heavy. I'm trusting this sword to do some good deal of damage, then! I closed into the Revive's back, and hoped that King Arthur's legendary sword lives up to its title as the Holy Sword of Narnia... It's... It's Narnia, right?

"**_CHARLES!_**" I yelled, trying to get his attention. I think it would be too evil to strike him down from the back, at least he should be able to absorb some of the damage using the frontal shields.

Shocked, the Frenchie turned his face to me, only to meet the blade of the Excalibur. "Wha-?!" He raised both of his arms in time for the hexagonal shield to materialize. The green sword in my hands made its impact to the main hull of the Revive, sending him flying out of control and to crash to the ground below. Ouch. I hope he's still okay with that. And with luck, I managed to take out a good chunk out from his shields and made him think twice before attacking again.

"You should pay more attention to your surroundings, Frenchie!" I taunted, while chuckling at the same time. Quickly turning my body around, my eyes met immediately met Ichika, charging at me with his large sword in hand. "E-eh?!" I stammered, frantically raising the Excalibur in an attempt to block the incoming attack from the Japanese. Our swords slammed against each other, and the impact was so hard, my shields dropped by 62 points. Holy crap... That sword is way too dangerous.

"Nice reflexes, Faizal!" Ichika spoke, with his sword pressing against mine.

"Your speed and control over your IS is amazing as well, Ichika-san." I compliment him back, before parrying his sword back, and using the thoughts collected in my mind to push myself away from him. His shield should be damaged enough for me to take him down in one shot. "But I suppose... _Inilah akhirnya._" I raised the Excalibur on its gun mode at a very quick manner. "Ichika-san, I'm sorry!" I pulled the trigger again. 0.3 seconds later, a beam was already heading straight for the white IS unit.

The beam impacted the main frontal hull of the Japanese's IS, and the hexagonal shield immediately shatters. Well, that takes care of that I suppose. Whew, looks like my calculations are correct after all-

"Wah!" I yelled in panic as a hard round hits my shield, sending me staggering for a few seconds. I dropped my altitude by a few meters in, and analyzed the damage. Oh... I only have 37 points of shields remaining. That means... "Charles Dunois." I smiled, looking at the ground. The Frenchie is at the ground of the arena, aiming at me with his sniper rifle ready. His Rafale seems to be lightly damaged as well. Looks like the Excalibur is sharper than I thought.

"Congrats on your first takedown, _mon ami_." He smiled back at me, with his rifle ready and aimed directly at me. "But don't you forget that I'm not out yet!"

One more shot... It could take both me and his shield down... Oh I get it... It's a showdown...

"Thanks, Frenchie." I grinned at the blonde European, taking aim with my Excalibur. "I guess it's time, huh?"

"_Oui_... It is..."

"Right."

"HAVE A TASTE OF THIS!" - "YOU'RE MINE NOW!"

Just less than a second later, I could feel that I'm being pushed back, and then the hexagonal shield that protects me from any physical injuries shattered open. A red light blared on my HUD. '**_!предупреждение!_ 0 Shield Points Remaining; Absolute Defense Mode On Standby _!предупреждение!_**' The warning popped up on the screen and the thrusters turned themselves out, just with enough power and push to land me down back safely on the ground.

I wasted no time but to slump forward to the dirt out of exhaustion by the match. My breaths were dangerously rapid, and beads of sweat fell down from my forehead.

A notification pops up.

* * *

**Match Results: DRAW**

**Rank:**  
**1\. Dunois, Charles - Rafale Revive Custom II [DRAW]**  
**1\. Halim, Faizal - Екскалибур [DRAW]**  
**2\. Orimuya, Ichika - 白式**

* * *

I smiled at the results of the match. For my first battle, I suppose I did well. I just need to rethink my strategies next time. Just time the shots, watch the angles, and the list goes on. I do realize that I'm not really cut out for close range engagements, though. I think I should just trust my quick time thinking rather than barging in, or maybe perhaps, I'm more of a thinker than a fighter... That's why my IS is so small, it's only equipped with minimal weapons and armor... It's just for personal protection!

That's it! I got it- Eh?

I raised my head to see Charles holding his hand out for me, of course, with the gigantic arms of his IS already dismissed. "That was a great match, _mon ami_!" He grinned brightly. "You're not bad, _zut_, I think you did well back then!"

I grinned back to him, before accepting his hand. With little effort, he pulled me back up to my feet. "Thanks, Frenchie. In my personal opinion, you did really good out there. You're one amazing pilot, Charles, I'll give you that."

He went a bit flustered... Wait what? "O-oh really? Well, _Merci_." He shyly turns his head away from me. "Well, I'll be doing some debriefing at the catapult with Ichika, you wanna come too?"

"Me? Nah. I'll probably just stay at the sidelines for now. Besides, I need to assess the damage of my own IS. You go on ahead." I waved him off. We fared our wells and with that, he took off to meet with the Japanese. "Okay, Excalibur... I need to know what are you really." I muttered to myself, analyzing the data of my own IS unit. In my opinion? It's a versatile unit that can both be used in short and long range, but the very low shields is a pretty scary thing.

I watched the distance, to see Ichika already beginning his talk with Charles... Wait... Are those girls the ones that I saw back then? Ah, I don't care. I really need to analyze this IS, and why's different from the rest.

* * *

**BANG!**

**BANG!**

**BANG!**

Damn it...

**BANG!**

**BANG!**

**BANG!**

E-ergh...

**BANG!**

**BANG!**

**BANG!**

**_WOI, DIEM!_** Damn it, those shooting sounds are so damn annoying... I can't focus on the research of my own IS. I raised my head and turned my eyes to the main source of the sound. I could see both the Japanese and the Frenchie practicing their sharpshooting skills. Jeez, I'll respect their decision to train, but can't they use a silencer for the rifle? I used my finger to repair my crooked glasses. Ah, look at those two, taking their sweet time to shoot every single pop up target.

I suppose I should just continue my own research later on... For now, I should just go back to my...

"Woah, check it out!"  
"Isn't that the German's 3rd Generation unit?"  
"I heard that it's still on its trial period here..."  
"That's the new transfer student who slapped Ichika earlier today, right?"  
"Yeah... Laura Bodewig..."

DID SOMEONE SAY ADOLF HITLER- Ahem... Excuse me, I mean, Did someone say the new transfer student is here at the field right now?! I snapped my head to one of the open catapults to see a black-clad IS with some red, golden and green armor parts. Its design is much bulkier than the ones I saw just now. But the main thing that made me flinch and even pale a bit is that gigantic cannon over its right shoulder. That weapon looked like it can blast through a building in just one shot.

The pilot of the heavy IS unit is none other than... The one eyed German, Laura Bodewig. Her single dark crimson eye scanned through the field and it fell upon the Japanese and my French friend. Seeing that the tension is somewhat rising, I stood up from the ground and materialized some of the armor of the Excalibur. Just in case. I didn't call forth the weapon though. The last thing we need is another battle to blow this place up. But, this is bad. Really bad.

"Ichika Orimura!" Barked Laura as she glared deeply into the said male pilot. Her tone shows evident signs of disgust.

Ichika handed Charles's he used on the training rifle back to its rightful owner. "That's right... What do you want?"

"So... You also have a personal unit..." Mused the silver haired girl. "Zat will wake it more easier... Now, fight me!"

A bunch of surprised gasps are heard from the large audience currently present in the field. Me and Charles included.

Ichika himself only shook his head. "No way." He rejected the rather forced offer without skipping a beat. "There's no reason for me to do it anyway."

"You might not have one, but I do!" She yelled again, this time, she sounds really angered. Okay, this is going out of control...

The Japanese exhaled deeply. "It doesn't have to be right now, does it? Besides, the class league match's coming up soon, maybe then, alright?"

The single crimson eyed German simply narrowed her eyes, before suddenly activating her cannon. "Or not." She immediately aimed the cannon directly to where Ichika and Charles's standing right now. Oh crap, a direct hit from a round of that thing could be devastating. Seeing the obvious incoming threat, Charles materializes his IS's shield and stepped in front of Ichika. Wait... But wasn't his unit damaged during our fight just now...? OH CRAP NO!

When Laura fires the cannon up to them, I raised my hand instinctively.

"**_не в мою смену! ! !_**" I yelled in a weird Russian language, but, as if responding to my commands and thoughts, the six small blades that's docked on the shield device over at my left shoulder detaches themselves. Almost instantly, they flied over to where Charles and Ichika is. With high speed, they began to fly at a circular formation, in that formation they spin themselves wildly and violently. A spark of light came to life at the edge and the center of the spinnng formation.

**_PANG!_**

And after that, what I saw, what everyone saw, shocked us all. Those blades, they actually formed an energy shield over that circular formation. The green circle of light deflected the incoming heavy round of artillery and the large bullet bounces off the surface of the shield and landed on the ground a few meters away from the two other guys. With that, every eye in the field suddenly turns to me. Males and females alike. They stared at me as if I just parted the Red Sea with a stick.

"F-Faizal?" Ichika muttered my false name aloud.

"I can't believed she just challenged you like that..." Growled the Frenchman. "Of course, Germans do get hot and bothered easily." He spawned more weapons out of nowhere. Okay, note to self, never piss of a Frenchie. Especially when the said Frenchie looks like a girl.

"Reminds me of a certain Austrian who started the second world war..." I added a bit tauntingly, making my way to back Charles up if a battle really is unavoidable.

Laura was certainly displeased. "You dare to challenge me in that pathetic 2nd Generation machine?!"

"_Oui_, a machine that works much better than your 3rd Generation one, which also have no prospect for mass production." Easy there, Frenchie...

"Attention! Students on the field! What are you doing down there?!" The announcement bell rang loudly. The announcer was not certainly happy about someone breaking a fight without a match notice.

The one eyed German tutted. "Hmph... I will allow you to escape... For today..." She dismissed her personal heavy IS, and walked away. But that's not before shooting us one last glare of hate and anger. Laura silently leaves the arena, with some of the other female students looked like they're about to alienate the new transfer student for picking up random fights against Ichika. What the hell was that for?! Showing up out of nowhere and suddenly-

Oh crap, I feel weak all of the sudden. I dropped to my knees and all of the six blades that were in flight dropped down to the dirt.

"Faizal!" Exclaimed the Frenchie with an obvious amount of worry.

"I'm fine." I slapped him five instead.

The girls that were watching Ichika back then suddenly snapped.

"Okay, Ichika, what was that all about?! Spill it!" Firstly, the Japanese said so.

"Yes, did something happen between you and Laura in the past?" Next the European, she sounded British. Yep, definitely British.

"Don't you dare keep your secrets on us, Ichika!" Okay, the shortest one, she sounded a bit Asian, but not that much...

"Guys, you two go to the changing room first, I'll catch you all later alright?" Ichika smiled warily at us.

I do notice some bit of hesitation in his voice, though. "Are you sure about it, Ichika-san?"

"Positive."

"Come on, Faizal, let's go." Charles used his shoulder to support my weight, and dragged me all the way to the locker room.

* * *

I'm now sitting at the bench the changing room provides. My white blazer is on the other bench. I'm only wearing the black dress shirt as well as the tie. My feet still feel a bit numb for some reason. My mind was still etched on the move I just did back then. Those blades. Are those bit weaponry? I could actually use them? Maybe I fell down because I used too much power on the bits, but, that Laura girl, though... I now wonder about Ichika... Will he be alright, dealing with all of those problems on his own-

"Hey, Faizal." A thick accented voice called out. "Are you sure that you're really okay?"

"Well, yeah, I guess. Just a little bit tired, that's all." I waved the topic dismissively. "Maybe I should ask the same question to you, Frenchie. Are you alright?"

"I... I'm fine, thanks for asking." His voice quieted down significantly. "And uh... When you did that shield thing... I uh... _Merci_."

I nod a few times. "Yeah, don't mention it. Besides, friends are supposed help each other, right?"

"Okay... Well, I'll head back to the room now..."

"Uhm... Yeah... Sure. Catch you later, Charles." Fishy... Fishy indeed.

* * *

When I got back to the room, it's already getting late. Had to stop and eavesdrop about Ichika and Chifuyu with their talk about Laura. Although I don't get much of the parts, I'm really intrigued to dive into the case much further. But in the end, I finally left the area without hearing the end of their conversation, for two major reasons... One, it's already dark outside, two, I really don't want to invade someone's privacy, so I decided that it's for the best.

I entered my supposed room with the Frenchie. I closed the door and threw my bag aside. It was dark and quiet.

"Charles, you in here, buddy?" As soon as I finish that sentence, I could hear some water running from the inside of the bathroom, oh, he's taking a bath, I see. "If you can hear me, I'm back, alright?" I said beside the door, only to hear no response. Hmph, French being French, I suppose. No one should ever disturb their bath.

I put my shoes off and changed my clothes into my usual relaxation clothing, and sat on the bed. Then I remember something. Chifuyu had told me that our room almost ran out of body soap. Okay, let's see if the room service had procured us a new bottle of one of those. I walked over to the drawer to find one lying there. Looks like this is it. It's supposed to be for girls, but, eh, since we're at this school, we can't really complain about that, can't we?

Grabbing the bottle, I made my way to the bathroom. Knocking a few times still to hear no response, I opened the door and decided to walk in.

"Hey, Frenchie, Orimura-sensei ordered us a new bottle of body soap." I said offhandedly. The water stops and the shower curtain opens up. "I brought this for you-" I froze at the next image that entered my heterochromic eyes. "_что ебать . . . Demi Tuhan. . ._" My irises went wide.

Okay... Did someone replaced Charles with a girl...? I... I mean, it's the guy... Girl that I'm facing right now is... He... She, definitely looks like Charles... Exactly even. Semi-long strawberry-blonde hair, deep purple eyes... Both of our gazes met. Maybe I was just too focused on his... Her face that I ignored her body. But certainly, it was petite, and much more paler than I thought. My eyebrow twitched a bit, seeing a girl naked right in front of me is just a new thing. ON A WHOLE DIFFERENT LEVEL, NO LESS.

Not that I want to stare at her, though...

"A-A-AH!" Exclaimed Charles... His- her face reddening up immediately, as she desperately tries to cover up her body using only her hands.

I immediately covered my eyes in respect to her, unknown to her, my face was also getting so much heat that I'm afraid I'll go haywire. "U-uh... Charles... As I said before... O-Orimura-sensei bought us a new bottle of body soap..." I began awkwardly. "I'll j-just leave this in the table for you, a-alright...?" I placed the bottle on the sink without stealing any glances to the French.

"_O-Oui... M-merci..._"

"I-I'll take my leave now..." I just stepped out from the bathroom, and I feel like screaming.

**_что ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебатьчто ебать что ебать! ! ! ! ! ! ! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-_**

* * *

Almost a half an hour later (maybe Charles's conflicted after seeing me entering the bathroom like that), the bathroom door creaked open. And Charles walked out of it with her usual training suit, but now, her hair is down, not tied up into a ponytail. I could still see her face flushed in deep red. I wouldn't even begin about that, because I'm sure as hell my face is red as well. I think I'm getting a fever already. Goddammit, my poor brain won't survive this mental assault!

I mean, it's already suspicious on how girly Charles acts... But... A girl... He turns out to be a fricking... She... Why...

I'm sitting on my own bed, facing the wall. Charles sits on her bed, facing the outside. I need to talk to him about this somehow.

"I... I uh... Charles." I coughed.

"Y-yes?" For once, her pitch is more acceptable as a lady.

"I uh... I'm sorry f-for... You... I uh... Yeah."

"N-no... It's my fault too."

Damn it, this atmosphere is very unsociable.

I stood up from my bed, facing her, and she turned her face to me. I silently made two cups of Oriental tea, one for me and one for her. The whole process of making the beverage was covered in a deafening, uneasy silence. Yeah, you heard me. The silence was sooo damn uneasy, I think it could even pierce my ear drums. After a minute or two. I walk back to our beds. Two cups of warm tea in hand. Everytime both of us looked at each other's faces, we would suddenly look away with flustered expressions.

I handed to tea to her. "Here..."

She took the cup to her hands. "O-oh... Right... Thanks..." From what I've noticed, she's not wearing anything to cover her... Insides. So her feminine figure really shows out this time.

I sat down on my own bed, but my eyes are still watching her. "Okay... Charles... Uh... I know it's probably a stupid question...? But... Why?"

She stayed quiet for a couple of seconds, but finally her sad smile hits me... Hard. "My family wanted me to do it."

"Your family? The Dunois Corporation?"

"_Oui_... As you already know, my papa is the company's CEO. And this whole plan was his direct order." I couldn't help but to choke on my own tea. "To be perfectly honest... I'm not the child of his wife." She let her bangs to cover her deep purple eyes. "I was separated from him for a very long time. But two years ago, he took me in. That was right after my mama died." I could hear her voice slightly trembling. I gulped down hard after I heard that.

"...I uh... I'm very to hear that... I'm sorry for your loss, Charles."

"No, no, it's okay, Faizal... After her death, the people of the Dunois company came to pick me up. After various tests, they found out that I was exceptionally compatible with the IS. And though it was unofficial, they secretly made me a test pilot for the exo unit. During those times... I have only seen my father twice. And we have spoken for no more than an hour." _что ебать...?! ублюдки... Я убью его...!_ I clenched my hand silently behind my back. A forced smile from me told her to continue.

She smiled sadly at me again. I couldn't really think of anything to help her until I hear the rest of the story.

"...Then the Dunois Corporation faced some... Financial difficulties."

"What? I thought the Dunois ltd. was ranked third in the world when it comes to IS manufacturing. So how?"

"While that is correct... But the Revive is a 2nd Generation type. Currently, every single company in the world is focusing on developing a more advanced 3rd Generation unit. I even think the reason some students like... Miss Laura and Miss Cecile, the British representative entered this school in order for them to gain some data for that development. Dunois itself has already begun developing for a 3rd Generation IS, but progress has been... Relatively slow. At this rate, their development permit is in danger of being withdrawn by the French government."

I blinked. "That doesn't really explain why're you dressing as a guy..."

Charles shook her head softly a few times. "No... If you think about it, it is very simple, actually... I'm merely here as an advertising platform for attracting attention. As for this whole charade... It's for a better chance of meeting someone with a more advanced IS such as Ichika and yourself... Yes, you may think your unit is a failure, but for Dunois, it's a spray of light for them. So they got me enrolled here as a boy. The ultimate hope for this thing was to actually..."

"...Collect any information from our units... Blueprints, data... Whatever you can get your hands on regarding the newer Generation models..." I finished her sentence, with the summed up thought. "It's to help the development for the Dunois ltd. to make a newer, or if possible, better, 3rd Generation unit with all of the gathered data from you."

She sadly turned her face away from me. "_Oui_." She sighed loudly. "To be frank... Now I feel much more better with that weight out of my chest... So thanks for listening, Faizal. And... I'm very very sorry about lying to you about this the whole time." That smile was a genuine one, though.

I didn't smile. I can't. Not like this. "It's okay... it's only been a day." Then, I could finally feel something inside snapped. "But answer me this, Charles... You never wanted any of this, right?"

She tilted her head, confused by my sudden question. "Huh?"

"This entire plot... Charade... Everything about stealing datas and such... All of it!" Angered, I stood up from my bed and sits on her bed beside her instead.

She looked genuinely surprised at the lack of distance between us. "E-eh? Faizal? What are you-"

"I simply can't accept the fact that this is happening to _you_, out of all people... _You_, Charles." I grit my teeth as hard as I could. "It's really important to respect our parents, I know that. It's a simple world knowledge and understanding. But that doesn't mean that they could also use you as a tool like this!" My dead serious eyes gazed into hers. "Unforgivable... All of them... That's just... Wrong... So damn wrong... That's just freaking unacceptable...!"

"F-Faizal, wait... Y-you're..."

My eyes narrowed. "Frenchie... You listen to me, and you listen good. I may not be the kid with the best attitude, I still got myself into trouble once in a while, but what you're feeling is what I'm feeling right now." I spoke with a more calmer tone. "At least... I don't really care about my parents (even if I don't know IF I actually have one) anymore... But I know you still do." I paused for a while. "So... What about you now?" I asked, still maintaining the seriousness in my voice.

She smiled at me, it's forced, I know, but still... "I don't know really. Now that you found me out, I'll probably be called back to France... And the rest... I don't really know. Sent to jail... If lady fortuna is at my side." She giggled with pity to herself. "To be honest... I'm scared." Her quite giggle continued. And then, she had to say that... Every single nerve in my body suddenly fried over.

Sent to jail, What?! NO WAY IN GODDAMN HELL. JUST NO! OVER MY DAMN DEAD BODY.

"Like hell I would let that happen. You're not going anywhere, you hear me?!" I grabbed her by the hand, as if not wanting to let her go after I heard that story. "And wait, I got a much better suggestion... Why don't you stay here... With me, no... With us, at the IS Academy instead?"

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"As long as my lips are sealed, you should be fine, right? So that's what I'm going to do. Besides... Even IF they do found out about this, I'm sure your dad and his company couldn't do anything about it anymore." I suddenly remembered what Chifuyu said to me a few weeks back. "As it's written in article 21 of the IS Academy's student's handbook... 'All students of the IS Academy are under its exclusive control, and no nation, organization, or any other group can interfere with their attendance.' There. Simple as that." I smirked.

Her face expression suddenly changed after I said that.

"So, as long as you keep attending this school, you still have at least three years of safety. In that time, you should be able to think up on something good, and I'll be there to guard your back. Now... What's your dad gonna do about that, huh? Attack this place with their outdated ISs?" I joked, even if I know the fact that her IS is the Revive. She giggled at my reaction. "Even if they do attack this place just to get you... They'll have to go through me first..."

She looks astonished at my determination. "I can't believe you actually knew about the regulations... I heard there're 55 of those for you to remember..."

"Yeah... I had a great teacher..." Thanks, Chifuyu.

She finally sighed in relieve. As she rests her head on my shoulder. Heat... Creeping up... Into my face.

"Hey, Faizal... Thanks... Thank you very much for covering for me..." She said that quietly, her tone hushed out. But even though I'm looking away from her right now, I could tell that she's smiling.

"That's no problem... It's always an honor to help people out." I smiled to no one in particular. "...You might want to zip your jacket up, though."

Charles yelped a bit in surprise as she realized what I'm saying to her. "O-oh r-right... Does it really bother you?"

"Very." I answered, not even waiting another second as soon as that last word left her mouth, I think my face is sooo red right now.

"W-would you like to-"

"**_Нет! __абсолютно не! NO. FOR DEAR LORD, NO._**"

"...Pervert."

I fell flat to the floor, face first. "Charles... You are one unique Frenchie, you know that...?" Then it came to our senses that someone is knocking the door.

"Yo, Faizal, Charles! You in there?" Ichika's muffled voice pierced through the door. "I noticed that both of you haven't had any dinner yet. Wanna join me to the cafeteria?"

Crap. Crap. Crap... Don't panic... Okay, think, Faizal, think, think, think... AHA! As if a metaphoric light bulb went on, looks like I got an idea!

"Frenchie, get on your bed and cover yourself with the blanket." I whispered to her.

"E-eh?"

"Just trust me, do it... _Ayolah_...!" I was practically begging. Ichika knocked on the door again, so the situation has gone from bad to worse. "No time to think, Charles, just please, do it!" I pushed her body lightly to her bed and tucked her in nicely. I covered her pale body with the soft blanket and I sat beside her like I'm waiting an old man dying or something. Both of us stabilized our breathing so it won't be obvious that we just did something... Weird in this room.

"Faizal, Charles, I'm coming in, alright?" Ichika opened the unlocked door and peaked his head in. Slowly, he walks over to us. "Yo, evening, guys... Uhm... Faizal? What are you doing?"

Oh, right, reason... Reason... AHA! "I uh... I... Ah, hey, _S-selamat malam_, I-Ichika-san! Charles's not feeling well so I was just taking care of him, th-that's all...! Ehehe...!" I patted the French girl's back lightly.

"_O-oui!_ Th-that's right!" Charles made up that cough... I hope that sounds pretty convincing for him.

Ichika peeks his head a bit more to the bed. "Oh... Right, well, sorry to hear that, Charles. I hope you can get well soon." He grinned at me soon after. "Hey, you don't mind if I borrow Faizal here for a minute, don't you?"

Charles coughed up some more. "S-sure...! Go ahead! I don't mind!"

I stood up from the bed. "What's the story, Ichika-san?"

He clicked his finger. "Oh right, it's just that I noticed both of you haven't had any dinner, and considering I haven't eat anything too, I want to ask you guys to come with me."

"I... Uh... Sure, but I think Charles has to stay behind. You're okay with that right, Frenchie?" I asked the boy, now turned girl, French.

She coughed yet some more. "_O-oui!_ Please, enjoy yourselves!" Nice acting there, Charles.

"Cool. Let's go, bro." With that, Ichika slung his one arm onto my shoulder, dragging me along with him.

* * *

I closed the bedroom door behind me. My breaths were terribly messed up. What I just saw at the hallways made my little brain go boom. Okay, so once we got ourselves to the hallways... And just as I was about to ask Ichika if he's alright with the events this afternoon, we suddenly got approached by this two girls... You guys remember the British and the other Japanese right? Well... Yeah, they just sorta marched on to us and forcefully asked Ichika to take them with us.

Uhm... How should I begin... Oh yeah, the British girl's name is Cecilia Alcott, while the Japanese is Houki Shinonono. I got confused after so many 'no's Houki's name has. Okay, so, yeah, they two, they sorta got into an argument, on who should get Ichika for themselves. In the end, the two got... 'Escorted' by Ichika to the cafeteria, but that's not without a threat of... Sword fight? Yeah... Houki had challenged her fellow Japanese to a sword fight in order to 'burn some calories', after she ate.

The girls seems to be forgetting about me. Not that don't mind being forgotten, though. I don't like that kind of attention. So... After those series of uneventful things, I decided that I should just go myself, and just ditch Ichika at the hallways. I should say sorry to him later, though. I got myself and Charles a set of Japanese food. Since it's already somewhat late, I doubt it will taste good, and... I think these are the leftovers... The room... It's still quiet, and Charles's still lying down on the bed. Is she asleep?

Hearing the sudden click of the door, the Frenchman- erh, woman, immediately shot up from her bed, to see me, with an awkward expression plastering my Russo-Asiatic face. Her face reddened a little, and I think I may have some heat on my cheeks again. Damn it, that one event we can't simply forget. I gotta shake that off somehow. Okay... Calm down, Faizal... Russians are usually stoic when it comes to this... Alright, time to change the subject...

"I uh... I'm back!" ARGH, way to start a conversation, Faizal! Well done!

"W-welcome back...? Uhm... Is everything alright out there?" She asked, confused by the obvious beads of sweat that's pouring down from my face.

I shook my head. "N-no...! Everything's fine! It's just Ichika-san and I ran into... Some... Things." I shuddered at the memory of both Cecilia and Houki dragging the poor Japanese male with them. "But hey, it's chow time, Frenchie." I showed him a tray of food.

"Oh, _merci_! I am hungry!" He walked over to the table where I set the food down. "E-eh?"

"What's wrong?" I asked, before noticing the she's holding the chopsticks the wrong way, not only that, but she also managed to snap the upper part of oen of the sticks. "Oh... I see."

She laughed nervously at me. "W-well... I've been practicing... But..."

"So I've seen." I replied. "Well, that's no problem really, I'll just run back and grab a spoon and fork in a jiffy."

"No, you needn't. That's okay, really!" She stopped me from advancing any further to the door.

I sighed. "Charles, you should really learn how to take advantage of your roommate's kindness, you know that? I mean, there's no loss in it too, right? Besides, you could always return the favor whenever. Not that I want it too, but eh."

"E-erhh... U-uhm... O-okay, b-but... couldn't you just... f-feed me?"

. . .

. . .

. . .

There was a full minute of silence before my brain decides to repeat her words in my mind.

"**_APPPPAAAAAAAAAAAA?!_**" I yelled in Malay as I dramatically do a 180 backflip. Yes, by I mean 180, that means I landed on the floor with my head. Hard.

"W-well... You said that I could take advantage of your kindness... _n-non_?" She apologetically looked away from me. Probably due to her somewhat strange request.

I slowly recovered from my comical fall, rubbing my face at the same time. "...E-erh... I suppose a guy should never go back on his own word..."

This day... Is pretty damn... Unique. Seriously, second day here and I'm already...

**_AAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-_**

* * *

**End of Chapter Two**

* * *

**Author's Notes and Russian Glossary (Most of them are translated via Google!):**

_\- боже мой : _Oh (my) God._  
\- _Aй,_ _Это должно быть больно : __Ouch, that must've hurt.__  
\- _я знаю, я знаю : ___I know, I know.___  
\- Екскалибур : ___Ekskalibur / Excalibur___  
\- _предупреждение! : ____Warning!____  
\- _не в мою смену! : _____Not on my watch!_____  
\- _что ебать? : ______What the Fudge?______  
\- _что ебать...?! ублюдки... Я убью его...!_ : ______What the fudge...?! Bastard... I'll kill him...!______  
\- _Нет! __абсолютно не!__: _______NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!

And here chapter two! A one long chapter, filled with roughly translated Russians! Now, there are some parts which I left untranslated such as the binary codes and the Russian below it for some spoiling reasons. Now as you can see, the IS used for this story is not that battle oriented, I want to make something different. Instead of using his brawn, my character will make more use of his brain, hence the smaller size of his IS as well as the miniscule shieldings. So, instead of using extreme forces, he will take his time to analyze the enemy THEN make the strike.

So, as you've probably guessed, he's a thinker who would like his ways of victory achieved by using his cunning skills. And for those who're wondering what his IS looks like, search Gundam 00 Quanta from Mobile Suit Gundam 00 The Movie: Awakening of the Trailblazer (but with his body, alright. I just took its weapons). Copyright belongs to Sunrise and Bandai Japan. And yes, there IS a reason why's he talking in so many Russians in this chapter, and again, for now, I'll not state the reason why.

And to answer KH-Hardcorefan4483's question, no I don't. Heck, I just knew that you also made your own fic about Gundams as well as ISs when you told me that :o, so no, and sorry if I might sound a bit copying, but, in all honesty, no, I don't usually write my work out of other people's work.

And uh... That's it, I guess? Thanks for reading. Cheers :)


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